Note in Blue and Opal—The Sun Cloud

Object Details

Artist

James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

Label

Ten of the St. Ives oils, including Note in Blue and Opal: The Sun Cloud, were included in an exhibition of Whistler's work that opened at the Dowdeswells' Gallery in London in May 1884. One unusually sympathetic reviewer praised several of the St. Ives subjects for their "high finish" (provocatively redefining "finish" in a very unconventional way) and bravura brushwork: "Beauty of handling and high finish will be specially noticed in the landscapes, principally Cornish, particularly 'Blue and gold-The Schooner' [private collection]; 'Harmony in brown and gold-Old Chelsea Church', 'Grey and silver mist' , and 'Blue and grey-Unloading' [all Freer Gallery of Art];' the most brilliant in colour being a 'Note in blue and opal-the Sun Cloud.'" Recent research suggests that this review was submitted by one of the Gallery owners-and that much of it had been written by Whistler.

Quotations from [Walter Dowdeswell], Mr. Whistler and His Art, Artist and Journal of Home Culture, June 1, 1884.

Provenance

To 1904

Wickham Flower (circa 1836-1904), London, to 1904 [1]

1904

Colnaghi, London, purchased at the sale of the Wickham Flower Collection, Christie's, December 17, 1904 [2]

From 1904 to 1919

Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Colnaghi in 1904 [3]

From 1920

Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

Notes:

[1] According to Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record: " Purchased from Mr. Desprez of P. and D. Colnaghi and Co., London, in 1904, and by them purchased at Christie's Sale, December 17, 1904, of the Wickham Flower Collection."

[2] See Original Whistler List, Paintings, pg. 15-1/2, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[3] See note 2.

[4] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Collection

Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Exhibition History

Small Masterpieces: Whistler Paintings from the 1880s (April 2, 2005 to November 11, 2008)

Mr. Whistler's Galleries: Avant-garde in Victorian London, 1883 (November 20, 2003 to April 4, 2004)

Arrangement in Yellow and Gold: Paintings by James McNeill Whistler (March 14, 1986 to April 1, 1987)

American Paintings: James McNeill Whistler 1834-1903 (February 6, 1985 to March 4, 1986)

James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art—Whistler and the Landscape (May 11, 1984 to February 5, 1985)

American Paintings (March 20, 1981 to September 24, 1981)

American Paintings: James McNeill Whistler (November 11, 1976 to March 18, 1981)

Whistler—Landscapes and Seascapes (October 14, 1969 to September 25, 1971)

Untitled Exhibition, American Oil Paintings (May 1, 1933 to February 6, 1944)

Whistler Landscapes, Oil (January 20, 1928 to May 1, 1933)

Whistler Oils Exhibition (January 8, 1925 to January 20, 1928)

American Paintings by J.A.McN. Whistler (May 2, 1923 to January 8, 1925)

A Selection of Art Objects from the Freer Collection Exhibited in the New Building of the National Museum (April 15 to June 15, 1912)

Inaugural Exhibition, The Toledo Museum of Art (January 17 to February 12, 1912)

Exposition des Oeuvres de James McNeill Whistler (May 1905)

"Notes"—"Harmonies"—"Nocturnes" (May 1884)

Previous custodian or owner

Wickham Flower (ca. 1836-1904)

Colnaghi (established 1760) (C.L. Freer source)

Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Credit Line

Gift of Charles Lang Freer

1883 or 1884

Accession Number

F1904.314a-c

Restrictions & Rights

CC0

Type

Painting

Medium

Oil on wood panel

Dimensions

H x W: 12.4 x 21.7 cm (4 7/8 x 8 9/16 in)

Origin

United States

Related Online Resources

Google Cultural Institute

See more items in

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Topic

landscape

farming

cloud

United States

American Art

Charles Lang Freer collection

Record ID

fsg_F1904.314a-c

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3c1f61fe6-ab87-4578-a996-302a9fdcaf5e